If I were ever going to rob a bank I would do so in character. Specifically, I’d go in wearing the giant green St George Dragon mascot suit.
Aside from the delicious irony of a bank being robbed by its own mascot, the stunt would serve as a timely reminder to Reverend Fred Nile- and others- that there are a range of uniforms, sporting apparel, masks and other coverings that conceal the face and the identity of the wearer.
Last week Nile from the Christian Democratic Party introduced a Bill in the NSW Upper House to make it an offence (maximum penalty $550) for “a person, without reasonable excuse to wear a face covering in a public place.” Note, that’s not just in banks or service stations, but in any public place.
Critics were quick to label the Bill a “burqa ban” but Nile has denied the bill is racist or religiously discriminatory, instead saying his concerns lie with issues of “security”.
It would be easier to believe that the Bill was not racially targeted were it not for Nile’s past.
In 2007 Nile issued a press release titled “No More Muslims” in which he calls for a ten year ban on Muslim immigration. Nile writes that “Australians deserve a breathing space” and are “rightly alarmed at the rapid growth in New South Wales of Islamic concentrations, where the English language is disregarded and Aussie family values are unknown or despised.”
The “security” argument might also fly better if Nile’s Bill treated all face coverings equally. But the Bill excludes face coverings that are worn in “the lawful pursuit of the person’s occupation.” This is good news for bee keepers, dentists, metal workers and of course, Dorothy the Dinosaur.
Sensibly, the Bill also excludes face coverings worn “in a lawful entertainment, recreation or sport”.
Once again, this comes as a relief for all those who actively participate in Halloween, Sci-Fi conventions, masquerade balls and sports such as skiing.
In other words just about every face covering imaginable is excused by the Bill, but with one startling exception; the Bill states that “a religious or cultural belief does not constitute a reasonable excuse for the wearing of a face covering”. This is very clearly a racially targeted act.
Unfortunately though, in his haste to ban the burqa, Nile seems to have forgotten a few things. Should the Bill be passed then, by law, any bride who wears their veil in public will be committing an offence under Nile’s Bill. So too, all grieving widows who choose to veil their face at funerals will be committing a finable offence. Somehow I don’t think Nile intends for Christian brides and widows to be targeted.
Aside from “security” issues, Nile has also stated that he is concerned about “women’s rights”.
Well move over Lara Bingle, Australia has its newest “feminist warrior”. Only here’s the thing. If Nile is going to be critical of religious zealots who police women’s bodies and force them to cover up, then he would do well to remember that in 2008 he himself introduced a Bill that would force women to cover up at the beach and would fine them if they went topless.
Back then, Nile denied that he was prudish, instead arguing that women should cover up so as not to affront Muslim men who come from countries “where women never go topless- in fact they usually wear a lot of clothing”. Nile stated “our beaches should be a place where no one is offended. I think it’s important to respect all cultures that make up Australia”. This from a man who only months earlier had released a “No More Muslims” press release.
Ignoring Nile’s ideological back flips and self contradictions, there is still the issue of the burqa. As a woman and a feminist I object to the reasons behind its existence. I am also offended and disgusted by individuals who refer to women who do not wear the burqa or hijab as being “like uncovered meat” inviting sexual assault.
But some women claim that it is their choice to wear the burqa and that telling women what they cannot wear is just as oppressive as prescribing what they must wear. In any event, there is every possibility that a public burqa ban will merely result in those women becoming prisoners in their own home.
When it comes to women’s rights, we need systemic change. Banning the burqa in an attempt to change attitudes is like banning white cloth to change the racist views of those in the Ku Klux Klan. Intolerance and censorship do not work and are not healthy parts of any progressive democracy. Neither are hypocritical, bigoted conservatives who introduce ridiculous Bills.
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